


You don't have to be lonely, alone

by bad_astronaut14



Category: The Last of Us
Genre: F/F, Hurt, Hurt/Comfort, Major Character Injury, The Last of Us - Freeform, The Last of Us Part II - Freeform, but so is ellie, dina's a little shit, ellie lives alone but what does that mean to dina? fucking nothing, ellie needs a hug, papa joel needs a break, sad boi hours with badastronaut, when did i get so damn soft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-02
Updated: 2020-06-02
Packaged: 2021-03-04 07:07:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,340
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24509644
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bad_astronaut14/pseuds/bad_astronaut14
Summary: A patrol.That's all it was supposed to be.Just there and back to the next town over, only a two-day trip. Just Ellie, Jesse, and Joel.But when do things ever go right?They never do, because of fucking course.
Relationships: Dina & Ellie (The Last of Us), Dina/Ellie (The Last of Us), Ellie & Joel (The Last of Us)
Comments: 13
Kudos: 181





	You don't have to be lonely, alone

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, all you lovely people! This is my first fic, so don't be too mean... I was gonna post this later but I had some extra time and finished it up. The fic and title are based on Laurel Wreath by Bear's Den. It's one of my favorites, I highly recommend you go give it a listen! I'm taking fic requests on tumblr @bad-astronaut14. Hope I'm able to put a smile on your face with this one!

A patrol.

That's all it was supposed to be.

Just there and back to the next town over, only a two-day trip. Just Ellie, Jesse, and Joel.

But when do things ever go right?

They never do, because of fucking course.

They had gotten careless, laughing and chatting around the small fire they had made in a previously explored hangar situated in a small valley. Maybe they deserved it, then. If this world has taught Ellie anything, it was to never let your guard down, to always be aware.

The hunters had gotten the jump on them, hopping through shattered windows and sneaking into the dark corners of the hangar that the orange glow of the fire couldn't reach. Jesse was fine, Ellie was a little banged up, but nothing she hasn't already handled in the past. And Joel.

Joel's back was propped up against an old wooden crate and he was sitting in a pool of his own blood. When Ellie and Jesse found him, his complexion was pale and he was already unconscious.

"Hey, old-timer. Nap time's over. We're getting you outta here," Ellie spoke gently, patting the side of Joel's face to rouse him.

Joel had a deep cut running down the length of his thigh and a gunshot wound only inches from it, both still emptying to add to the spilled blood already staining the old concrete. The skin covering his right collarbone was split, making Ellie think someone had tried to slit his throat, but failed.

Joel groaned, only cracking his eyes open slightly before immediately closing them again. _Hell, at least he's conscious now._ Ellie pulled off her button-down overshirt and shed her cotton t-shirt, putting back on the overshirt and doing up the buttons. She covered Joel's leg wounds with the t-shirt, securing it with tape she dug from the bottom of her backpack.

"There we go. Should do until we get to Jackson. Now, let's get you up." Ellie groaned, throwing Joel's arm over her shoulder and helping him stand.

"Jesse? A little help? I'm gonna go grab the horses."

"Yeah. Of course."

Ellie jogged outside to the much smaller hangar that housed the horses. She's glad they put them there, because they for _sure_ would have been walking back to Jackson had they been in the same hangar.

Back inside, Jesse had Joel's bag on the front of his chest and his own on his back. He also stomped out the fire, damn near dragging a barely conscious Joel closer towards Ellie.

Bodies. There were bodies everywhere. Ten or twelve guys, at least. But there's never _just those guys_. They really needed to get the fuck out of here, and _fast_.

With the help of Jesse, Ellie heaved Joel onto the back of her horse and she mounted herself. Joel leaned heavily into her back, and her abs strained from keeping herself, and by extension, Joel upright on the horse. He groaned from behind her as Jesse gradually lifted the large garage-type door of the hangar.

_(Fucking hunters. See, this coulda been us.)_

Ellie hesitated, desperately wanting to put as much distance between Joel and the danger as possible but also reluctant to leave Jesse behind in the wake of her panic. Jesse sensed her internal conflict, and gave her a much appreciated out.

"You go. You've got Joel. I can cover your six, make sure we're not followed. I'll be right behind you before you know it."

Ellie exhaled in relief and nodded curtly before hitting her heels against the horse's flanks to set it into a swift gallop into the Wyoming wilderness and dark of night.

In a couple hours Ellie and Joel came to a screeching halt outside the large gates of Jackson, Ellie immediately yelling to whoever was on watch that they needed in _now_.

The night went by in a blur. She can vaguely remember Joel being carried away to the med bay, blandly describing their encounter to Tommy and Maria, and after that specific events were indistinguishable.

She sat on the floor with her back against the wall and her knees tucked into her chest, the smells of cleaning supplies and blood blending together and flooding her senses. She sat for God knows how long. The passing of time was irrelevant and unimportant, mind still clouded with concern for her adoptive father. What felt like a few minutes could have been a few hours, and what felt like a few hours could have been a few minutes. Next thing she knew, the sun began to peek from behind the mountaintops and pierce her forest-green irises that were still focused on nothing in particular.

A nurse appeared from the hallway to her right, doing a double take at the sight of the girl on the floor.

"Ellie? You're still here?"

Ellie waved her off, rubbing her tired eyes with a thumb and a forefinger.

"Please, Ellie. Go home. Clean yourself up. I promise you'll be the first to know if anything else comes up."

Still, Ellie wouldn't budge, eyes still distantly trained in the wall in front of her.

"C'mon. Go home to that girl of yours. You know Joel wouldn't want you sitting here worrying so much. So go before I kick your ass out."

Ellie cracked a smile for the first time in several hours, finally relenting and beginning to stand.

"Thanks, Ellie. Take care."

"Sure, it's whatever."

She trudged through the streets to her small, two-story house. She stepped through the door and shut it behind her, sloppily unlacing her boots and dropping her bag next to them. She walked the short distance to the couch, flopping over the armrest and letting her body sink into the cushions. Her spine bent at an awkward angle, some of her long frame still hanging off the sides and arms of the sofa. She groaned and let her eyes slip closed, finally feeling the effects of the stress and exertion on her body.

"Ellie fucking Williams, is that you?" Dina's voice echoed from up the stairs.

She only groaned again, not finding it in herself to care if she heard her or not. She heard footsteps pad down the stairs and then warm breath against her cheek.

"You smell like garbage, El."

She opened the eye that wasn't smushed into the couch cushions and a small smile played at her lips when she saw Dina's face, maybe a foot from hers.

"That's my line." Ellie smiled. It was nice to forget sometimes, even only for a moment. Dina smiled right back.

"C'mon. You can hop in the shower and then explain to me why you're back so early."

Ellie's face visibly fell, eyes closing as she exhaled painfully. She shifted to a seated position and stood, looking at Dina and mumbling a small _okay_ before heading up the stairs to grab a change of clothes and lock herself in the bathroom.

She made the water as hot as she could stand it, stinging slightly as it rolled over her various cuts and bruises. Steam clouded the air with thick humidity as Ellie stepped out, toweled dry, and throwing on a clean t-shirt and some basketball shorts.

Ellie steeled herself, exhaling shakily and resting her forehead against the bathroom door as time seemed to finally slow to a crawl.

She took a moment before opening the door and stumbling towards the bedroom and flopping down on her bed beside Dina.

"Long day, Freckles?" Dina smiled from beside her, and Ellie could only groan her response.

"C'mere," Dina coaxed quietly, guiding Ellie's head to rest in her lap. She carded her nimble fingers through Ellie's wet auburn mane, a newfound gesture that Ellie wouldn't admit she liked. Dina knew anyways.

"What happened today, love? Do you wanna talk about it?"

Ellie exhaled shakily, closing her eyes at the reminder. Her walls came down.

"Joel…"

She didn't have to say anything else. Dina knew. Dina always knew. Could read her like a children's book with fucking 70 point font. Not that she minded, but it scared Ellie. Scared her in a different way, a good way.

"I've got you, Ellie."

Dina continued her ministrations, her other hand rubbing soothing circles between Ellie's shoulder blades when she rolled to her side and her nose bumped Dina's soft stomach. Ellie tried to relax, tried to drown in the presence of Dina, but her mind continued to run a million miles an hour. She doesn't remember falling asleep. She didn't think she could. Perhaps the exhaustion did her in.

She woke again to the setting sun and an empty bed. She rolled out of bed and trudged down the stairs, surprised to see Dina in front of the stove and to have the smell of food reach her senses.

"Well, that's one way to fuck up your sleep schedule."

"Why, I missed you too, Dina! I slept great, thanks for asking! If you don't mind, what have we for dinner, darling?" Ellie mocked, coming up behind Dina to wrap her arms around her middle and resting her chin on her shoulder.

"Oh, fuck off," Dina chuckled, leaning into Ellie's embrace and bringing a hand up to her cheek to pull her closer. Ellie breathed her in for a few moments but eventually detangled herself after pressing a gentle kiss to Dina's palm.

"Don't think you're getting away with that poor excuse of a kiss, Williams! You hung me out to dry this morning!" Dina turned, wagging a finger at Ellie with her face contorting into a soft grin.

Ellie chuckled but relented, placing her hands on Dina's hips and tenderly connecting their lips. Dina ran her hands up Ellie's chest and snaked them around to play with the hairs at the base of Ellie's neck.

Three sharp knocks sounded from the other side of the front door, breaking them apart.

"I've got it."

Ellie opened the door to come face to face with the nurse who sent her home in the early hours of the morning. She looked back at Dina with eyes full of worry, but her face and smile were soft as she nodded at Ellie in understanding. She looked back at the nurse and held a finger up, taking the stairs two at a time and wiggling into a pair of jeans. She left a small peck on Dina's lips on her way out, and tried to hide her anxiety on the walk to the med bay.

"Ellie, relax. He's okay."

"Sorry. Just nervous, I guess."

It felt like it took longer than it should have to get there, but soon the nurse was leading her down the hallway of the med bay and steering her into Joel's room.

He was still asleep, likely sleeping off whatever he'd been drugged with earlier. Ellie eyed the nurse and pulled the only chair in the room up next to the bed, gingerly holding one of Joel's hands in hers and dropping her forehead to the sheets.

Another hour passed before he woke up, the sun long gone behind the mountains by now. Joel's face lit up when his eyes met hers, and she smiled brightly back.

"Hey, kiddo."

His voice was sweet and gentle, like he hadn't almost bled to death not even 24 hours prior.

"What the fuck, old man! I thought you were a goner!"

Ellie lunged, throwing her arms best she could around Joel. She let her walls down, but only for a second. Much like she had with Dina that morning. A few tears slipped down her cheeks, and it finally, _finally_ sunk in that Joel would be okay. Ellie pulled away, and Joel shrugged.

The nurse began to list off what had been done to keep Joel alive, and Ellie's eyes got progressively wider after each new thing.

"Twenty-seven stitches for the gash on his leg, two for the bullet hole, another six for the laceration on his collarbone, and to top it all off, two blood transfusions."

" _Jesus_ , Joel…"

"Guess it just wasn't my time."

"No time is _ever_ your time. You're like a fucking cockroach."

Joel huffed and shook his head, eyes glowing with a fondness they only held for Ellie.

"Well? Go on home, I'm sure Dina's waiting for you."

"If you wanted to get rid of me, you could have just said so," Ellie smiled.

She knew better. Joel didn't want her seeing him like this. Like something weak, something fragile.

"If I wanted to get rid of you I would have shot you a _very_ long time ago. Believe me. Now get."

"Ughh, _fine_. But only because Dina will kill me if I don't."

Ellie reluctantly left Joel's bedside and left the med bay, starting back down the street once again. She felt like she could breathe easier, like this burden that was sitting on her chest had simply stood up and walked away.

She shoved her hands in her pockets and smiled up at the sky, letting the crunching of gravel beneath her shoes calm her. She thanked every single one of her lucky stars.

Ellie returned home, kicking off her boots and joining Dina at the dinner table with a bowl of the stew she had finished making earlier. Their eyes met, and Dina spoke.

"How is he? Is he—"

Ellie cut her off with a soft smile and nod.

"He's okay."

A kiss.

They finished their meal in relative silence, only occasionally sharing banter or gentle touches. They set the dishes in the sink and padded up the stairs, absentmindedly running through their nightly routines. Ellie shed her jeans, climbing into bed in her boxers and the t-shirt she put on earlier.

Dina slipped under the covers moments later, and Ellie instantly gravitated towards Dina, her body a beacon of warmth. Ellie's head rested on her chest, and Dina's fingers tangled in auburn locks, cradling her head in the crook of her neck.

Their bodies melded together beautifully, and Ellie drowned in Dina's presence, her being.

_Everything's okay._

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Feel free to leave me a comment or kudos! It would make my day! I probably won't be able to post again for a little while because I've got two huge out of state softball tournaments so I'll be out of town for a couple of weeks. If I do post during that time, it'll be short and sweet. If not, I should be back and hopefully post again around the 14th or 15th to carry us right into the release date!


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